Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home is 4.07 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 263 minutes against a 227-minute daily care target; RN time is 66 against 45.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
67% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% across other homes.
Getting needed care is below the survey average
86% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% across other homes.
Sources and Explanation
This is a programmatic interpretation of published data, not an in-person inspection or a separate expert-assigned score. The figures are the Elderberry Index and its four government component ratings; a measure the home has no published rating for is left out. Our rating methodology.
Ratings: August 2026. Survey comparisons: 2026 interview responses from that extract. Other Australian homes in the same ratings extract; survey comparisons also require the same interview year. Each eligible home has equal weight; missing/invalid values excluded. These are descriptive comparisons, not resident-weighted or adjusted for differences in care needs.
How findings are selected
Survey gaps of at least 3 percentage points, rating gaps of at least 0.3 stars, and changes of at least 10 percentage points can qualify. These are editorial selection thresholds, not tests of statistical significance. Benchmarks need at least 30 homes. Each side shows up to three eligible findings; missing values never become negative findings. Specific combined food evidence and sustained care-target results are prioritised, then larger differences. Respect and caring are grouped when both qualify.
Food spending uses the My Aged Care sector median for Jan–Mar 2026; resident enjoyment comes from the 2026 survey. The combined finding reports two separate observations from different reporting periods; it does not establish that spending caused the survey result. Year-to-year survey samples may differ and respondent counts are unavailable. Care consistency uses the latest four submitted, quality-checked care-minute records and direct RN minutes without EN top-up.
A lower compliance rating is a comparison with other homes, not a claim of an active sanction. Higher expenditure alone is not treated as better care. Unadjusted clinical incident measures are not used to rank quality here.
My Aged Care home profile · Government Star Ratings extract
Benchmark populations
| Measure | Mean | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| Elderberry Index | 3.81 | 2365 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.73% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home provide?
Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home reported 263 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 36 minutes above its target of 227 minutes. Registered nurses provided 66 of those minutes, 21 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 242 to 263 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 263 minutes, enrolled nurses provided 172 (65.4%), followed by registered nurses (66 minutes, 25.1%) and personal care workers (25 minutes, 9.5%). Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 66% of residents surveyed at Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share fell from 69% in 2025. Another 20% answered “some of the time” and 13% “never”.
Food spending at Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home in January to March 2026 was $44 per resident per day, 175% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $1.34 per resident per day, 379% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home, breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-freeze method. Of all meals, 19% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
66% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home in the 2024–25 financial year was $425.15 per resident per day, 61% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $766.57 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($191.79), cleaning and laundry ($81.93) and administration ($19.41) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to enrolled nurses ($154.73) and other care consumables ($110.20).
What do residents say about Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 67% of residents surveyed at Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 92.7% average across other homes by 25.7 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (86% against 94.4%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (80% against 84.2%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them: 86% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 80.3%. Altogether, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 67% answered “always” and 33% “some of the time”; none answered “most of the time” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Murrenda Residential Aged Care Home were asked whether they feel safe, 80% answered “always” and 13% “most of the time”.
